On November 29 KST, boy group ENHYPEN took home 3 trophies at the '2025 MAMA AWARDS' in Hong Kong, including 'Fan's Choice Male Top 10', 'TELASA Favorite Global Artist', and 'Fan's Choice of the Year (Grand Prize)'.
Significantly, the boy group earned their first 'Grand Prize' recognition since debut through 'Fan's Choice of the Year', making for the perfect 5th anniversary gift for the members as well as their fans.
Upon being called as the winners of the 'Fan's Choice of the Year' award, several ENHYPEN members showed tears, including leader Jungwon. While delivering his teary acceptance speech, Jungwon said, "ENGENEs, thank you so so much. I just cannot put into words how grateful I am. We promise to show you our best sides so that you will feel proud when you call yourself ENGENE."
He then added on, "And to our Bang Si Hyuk PD-nim and Tae Ho-nim (CEO of BeLift Lab), you never considered us a kind of product. You never looked at us through a purely commercial gaze. You treated each and every member with respect as human beings, and you guided us toward virtuous paths so that we could become good people. Thank you."
While many Korean netizens congratulated ENHYPEN on their major win, some found the group's shoutout toward Bang Si Hyuk somewhat "unfitting". Notably, Bang Si Hyuk is currently under police investigation for allegations of profiting through unfair and manipulative stock trading practices.
In response to ENHYPEN's acceptance speech, some netizens said,
"So who told you to say that Jungwon?"
"I see, so that's the kind of image that Bang Si Hyuk wants to fabricate for himself."
"Guess these boys are showing where their loyalties lie.."
"It's so obvious HYBE is trying to use everything that's happened recently to dramatically change its image as a 'humanitarian' company lol."
"I'm sorry boys but he doesn't even recognize people's faces, he is the one person who will always see you as nothing but a money-making product."
"Wow they raised these boys well, they know how to suck a**."
"So if what he's saying is scripted and written by someone else, did they tell him to cry too??"
"So who's gonna tell him the truth..? That when Bang Si Hyuk looks at him he literally sees a product that generates profit..?"
"All he had to do was say, 'Bang Si Hyuk PD-nim, thank you,' but nope, he had to go and add all those unnecessary words.."
Others also referred back to the controversial contents of the 'HYBE Weekly Music Industry Reports' and the numerous K-Pop idols targeted in them, remarking,
"But remember those weekly reports that was just pages and pages talking about every other idol group out there not under HYBE as absolutely nothing but marketable products.."
"I mean I guess he is right, based on the weekly reports, only HYBE idols are people and all other K-Pop idols are ugly, worthless 'things'."
"Bang Si Hyuk stop telling your kids to say these cheesy things in public and apologize to all the other idols you mocked in your 'Weekly Music Industry Reports'."
"So when is this sorry excuse for a company going to apologize to all the K-Pop idols that it trashed??"
"Oh but remember when your company wrote pages and pages of reports about my idols being products hahahaha."
"Bang Si Hyuk thinks K-Pop idols need to be treated like human beings huh? So that's why he wanted to step on aespa.."
"Look at HYBE trying to discreetly cover up the weekly reports by making their idols read made up scripts!!"
What are your thoughts on the group's acceptance speech?
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